(Lesser underground cabling). Signal degradation is also less in optical fibres compared to coaxial copper cables. From the security perspective as well optical fibres are more dependable. Since they are safe from any kind of electrical or magnetic interference installation engineers have great relief as they do not have worry about the proximity of the cable to other electrical installations. Further, the absence of current implies that there is absolutely no interference between adjacent fibres, which means clear reception of signals. [Bell College] One aspect to consider however is the difficulty with respect to splicing two ends of an optical fiber. Unlike copper wires that can be simply soldered, joining optical fibres is more complex and requires precision. High cost is also factor to be considered as optical transmitters and receivers are much expensive and further, optical fibres are always at risk for 'fiber fuse', which can destroy the cable. However, these are minor issues that are outweighed by the potential benefits offered by optical fibres. [Wikipedia]

Advancement of Fiber Optic Technology

Fiber optics has evolved a long way over the last decade when compared with the last 50 years with the transmission capacity being increased by more than 200 times. (already in the tera bit region). During the early years fiber optic technology was practically non-viable given the high optical loss of signal (greater than 20 db/km). Then the first generation of fiber optic cables came into existence that confined signal loss to less than 2db/km. Today with dense wavelength-division multiplexing total fiber capacity has been increased up to one terabit and even more. [David R. Goff] We have optical fibres that achieve the theoretical minimum for signal attenuation. Asides telecommunication network, fiber optic technology is today being used for cable television transmissions and for high-speed Internet connections. Optical networks, for military communications is one of the important applications of fiber optics. Also, currently, optical fibres find immense application in the field of medical imaging. The flexibility of the fibres lends itself naturally for less invasive imaging studies like endoscopy, laproscopy, etc. Optical fibres are again highly useful in mechanical...

[Craig C. Freudenrich]. Fiber optics is destined to be the future communication medium for real time interactive voice and video communications. Research is already underway in the development of super thin fibres, which are less than 10,000 times, the size of the optic fibres used in present day telecommunication systems. These ultra thin fibres confine light more effectively and thus reduce the need for repeaters every 50 km's. Also, in the near future these fine optical fibres will greatly impact the production of photonic chips that process light impulses. [Philip Ball]
Conclusion

Fiber optic technology has revolutionized the field of Telecommunication. It is the ideal transmission technology for the digital age that we live in where computers have become interwoven with every aspect of our lives. With the drastic improvement in the bandwidth and high performance efficiency there is no question of doubt that optical fibres definitely hold a big advantage over the conventional copper cables. From simple telephone networks, to the development of complex medical and mechanical imaging systems, and production of future technologies such as photonic chips, fiber optics has contributed immensely and thus is destined to be the mainstay communication technology of this age.

Bibliography

Jeff Hecht, "A short History of Fiber Optics," Accessed on July 13th 2005, Available at http://www.sff.net/people/Jeff.Hecht/history.html

David R. Goff, "Fiber Optic Reference Guide: A Brief History of Fiber Optic Technology' 3rd Edition, Focal Press, 2002

http://www.fiber-optics.info/fiber-history.htm

Bell College, "Fiber Optics," Accessed on 13th July 2005, http://floti.bell.ac.uk/MathsPhysics/introduction.htm

Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D, "How Fiber Optics Work," Accessed on July 13th 2005, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic1.htm

Wikipedia, "Optical fiber," Accessed on July 13th 2005, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber

Philip Ball, 'Super-slim glass fibres hold light more tightly," Nature,

Published online: 18 December 2003. http://www.nature.com/news/2003/031215/pf/031215-7_pf.html